Outcast
by iamthem0ckingjay
Summary: Megan Riddle is an outcast at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and wizardry thanks to her unfortunate heritage. Hopefully, getting in Albus Potter's good books will help her popularity grow.


I pushed my trolley along to platform 9 of kings cross station. I must've looked rather peculiar pushing around an eagle owl, but everyone was in too much of a hurry to notice a small 11 year old girl, even if she was pushing around a rather large suitcase with a very frustrated eagle owl precariously balanced on top.

I'd decided to wear black jeans and a t-shirt with the muggle band 'The Who' on it. Something that didn't stand out. I didn't want to be noticed. To be given attention was the last thing i wanted, I'd been given too much of that recently, too much. I just wanted to sink into the background. I wanted to be left alone to wallow in my own self pity.

I stood opposite the wall separating platform 9 and 10. I hovered there for a minute, contemplating the thought that this may be one, very long, very stupid, practical joke. I knew it wasn't, but i somewhat hoped it was, I was dreading everyone that would be there. I was dreading all the funny looks and whispers that would occur after they recognised me.

I ran. Straight into the brick wall ahead of me. It was a strange feeling, because i honestly felt nothing at all. I was in and out before you could say magic. And here I was. Platform 9 and 3/4. It looked just like a normal train station, apart from the ruby red Hogwarts express in front of me. Before anyone could really take notice of me, I stepped on the train, hauling my heavy luggage with me.

I walked down the aisle trying to find an empty cabin where i could sit alone and not be noticed, I could see some people my age, but they were all in groups. Some who obviously knew each other quite well and were in deep conversation, others were very awkward and making the odd comment about the weather to the person opposite them. I had no-one. I knew people, Well, I knew who they were. Most of them had their pictures in books with their families, they're parents were survivors of the second wizarding war.

I found an empty compartment and sat down. The inside of the compartment was beige with that uncomfortable chair fabric that is always in trains, even magical ones. No-one else joined me so as the train began to move, I got out my book. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. A muggle book, true. But a good one all the same. I looked at the pages, my eyes became unfocused. Maybe I should just sleep, it didn't seem like anyone was going to join me, especially now that the train was moving...

"_hello, hello? Wake up!"_

'shut up.' I replied to the disembodied voice.

"Hello? Come onnnn! WE'RE NEARLY HERE!" he said, prodding me again. I rubbed my eyes and yawned. His comment sunk in.

"SHIT." I said, rather loudly. I had a habit of saying inappropriate things loudly. I should really have known better by now, but old habits do die hard.

He seemed shocked by my words, but then he burst into fits of laughter.

"You're the Riddle girl aren't you? I thought you were, but it's harder to tell when you're asleep. Bet you're glad you don't have his nose eh?" He chuckled, though stopped quite quickly after he noticed the highly unimpressed look i gave him.

"And you're the potter boy, Well, of all people that will sit next to me at this school, I didn't think you'd be the first." I said to him. Though I smiled, the last thing I want is to be hated by Albus Potter. Though, to be truthful, he seemed like a bit of a loner. He was sat in a cabin with me and I'd been asleep for about 2 hours. +10 popularity points to him.

We talked for a while, We did formal introductions, he told me to call him Al. He hated being called Albus, he said it made him feel ancient. I didn't blame him, I swear calling your child Albus is a form a child abuse. He asked if he could call me Tom. Apparently 'Megan' isn't cool enough. I didn't mind him calling me it, I quite liked it really, I hated my name, but it gave me the feeling that he was thinking about... _it._

"Tom?' he asked, I looked up from the article in the quibbler about Crumple Horned Snorkacks and how they almost probably do not exist.

'Do you ever think about _him_? How did you even find out that you were related?" he asked me. The question took me by surprise, it was completely random and out of context, we'd just been talking about Loony Lovegood and how she'd finally admitted that some things in the world don't exist, but i knew it would come up. He knew who i was, it was only a matter of time before he asked about_ him_.

"I don't really think about him, not at all" I lied, Al was obviously waiting for something more interesting.

"Well, all the people at St. Mungo's had been placed under extremely powerful memory charms by whoever my mother was and to this day they can't remember, so obviously my mother is still alive, unless they work without her being alive." I paused. I could tell Al wanted to know exactly who my family were so I unwillingly continued.

"So, the witch and wizard who took me in were really eager to find out my background and... well... yeah. They found out. He was my grandfather, my grandmother was this random woman called 'Victyana Appleberry' who apparently put love potion in his drink and persuaded him to... well, y'know," He laughed and urged me to go on.

"Garrick Deverill was my dad. Dumb name huh? Well he was a death eater. And my mum was a half blood, She was called Romany smith and they were both death eaters. My mum obviously didn't want kid so she gave me a dumbass name and then left me at the hospital within a few hours of giving birth. Yay." I finished my story, he seemed a little shocked, though it was almost like he assumed that it was the case.

The train came to a halt, thankfully. We were squeezed off the train, ten people rushing through a two man door at once was a slight squeeze. As we stepped off, the breeze messed up my hair so i couldn't see much, but there was no mistaking the silhouette of a rather tall giant like man shouting,

"THIS WAY FIRS' YEARS, FIRS' YEARS THIS WAY!" We rushed along towards him, not wanting to be left behind. I nearly got pulled away by the crowd, but Al grabbed my hand and pulled me through towards the big man.

Al and I followed the tall man (who was a half giant named Hagrid according to Al) to a huge lake filled with a fleet of battered wooden boats bobbing on top of the silky black water, each with a lantern propped on a seat at the front of the boat.

"It's six to a boat, careful not to fall in now, gian' squid migh' get yer" he chuckled, a boy near me squealed.

"Pathetic" i whispered to Al, he chuckled slightly, until he noticed the boy in question giving us a mean stare, he caught my eye and whispered to his friend. He'd recognised me.

Me and Al stepped into the nearest boat, taking care not to trip over the pile of rope that was curled up neatly on the wooden floor. We took the two seats at the front and Scorpius Malfoy (he looked exactly like his father, who worked at the ministry with my adoptive dad, that's how i recognised him) and two boys with had brown hair sat in the back. As the boat started slowly moving, i took time to take in my surroundings, mainly concentrating on the grand castle ahead of me.

"it's beautiful" i said to Al, who was also staring in awe at the castle. It wasn't like a castle that real kings and queens lived in, a castle where only young wizards and witches would be taught in. A magical castle. It was so much better than i'd imagined. If the castle wasn't enough, the grounds that i could make out in the dark were huge. They stretched for miles, in the distance i could just make out the quidditch pitch, it seemed so ghostly now, but i could imagine it full of life during a game. People cheering, laughing and shouting threats at the enemy team. It seemed so amazing, but I knew it would never last, not till people realised. Everything would change then, I just hoped they would realise after they got to know me. That way they could see i wasn't bad.

The boats came to a halt at a large gravel path, we got out and walked up to a huge bolted wooden door. Hagrid opened it and heat blasted through, hitting us like a gail force wind. Everyone walked through, but Hagrid pulled Al and me behind.

"Hey Albus, you know, after you've settled down at Hogwarts, why don't yer come and meet me and we can have a good ol' chat and a cup of tea, jus' like me and yer father used to. Bring yer friend too!" he said to us, then patted us in, but it felt like a thump because of his huge, dustbin lid sized hands.

We followed the crowd up a staircase where we were met by a very skinny, stern looking old woman with her whispy white hair tied tightly in a bun, giving the impression that she had more hair than she actually had.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room." She said, observing the crowd of first years to make sure they were all paying attention, but of course, they were. Her intimidating presence would stop a banshee from wailing. "The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours." She paused again, apparently not pleased with the deadly silence, maybe someone breathed too loud. This woman certainly had high standards and wouldn't be pleased with anyone that didn't meet them.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarted yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." She looked at a small boy with brown hair who had crumbs all over his robes.  
>'I will return when we are ready for you, please wait quietly.' McGonagall finished, she then went through the huge, intricately decorated double doors ahead of us.<p>

Scorpius Malfoy walked up to me and Al, I could tell he was going to say something about me, he was going to tell everyone who i was, i could see it in his eyes.

"So, Riddle and Potter... The spawn of Voldemort and Harry Potter's son. How interesting..." He said, people close heard him and soon the word that the 'Spawn of Voldemort' was in the room had spread throughout the year.. Everyone looked at me and started whispering. I heard a few of the regular rumours, ones about me going on a killing spree in south devon, or that my first words were 'avada kedavra'. They were stupid, but then again, the daily prophet invented them.

"MAN YOU MUST HAVE HAD ONE HECK OF A NOSE JOB EH?" Someone shouted, I turned to look at him, smiled, did the girliest of waves and then gave him, and the rest of the year the ghostliest of looks, they all shut up. I felt so powerful. I turned back around to Malfoy, I looked him right in the eye, he flinched. I found it funny how he seemed so confident, but the simple look in the eye could make him flinch. He was scared of me. I could tell. He was just trying to be tough in front of these people. To assert his authority amongst us scum.

Scorpius was attractive. There was no denying it, he had white blond hair, emerald green eyes and something about him that was just, attractive. He didn't even seem that stuck up. Just like he was trying to start conversation in the wrong way.

"Go cry in a bathroom Scorpius, just like your dad used to" Al said to him. Al chuckled to himself, and i saw a tinge of pink in Scorpius' cheeks. He opened his mouth to answer back but McGonagall came through the doors.

"We're ready for you now" she said, and pointed us through the door.

No words could explain how breathtakingly beautiful the great hall was. The ceiling was bewitched to look like the night sky, so now it was pitch black with stars twinkling all over it. Candles floated just above each of the four tables, one for each house. Each table stretched the length of the room to fit every student in the house on one table. At the front of the room, an ornately carved table where all the professors sat. I was yet to know all their names, but I recognised the Headmaster, Wilfred Terence Randolph Elphick. A rather eccentric man with wiry white hair and strangely wide eyes which gave you the impression that he wasn't completely sane.

Professor McGonagall stood at the front of the hall next to a rickety wooden stool. On top of the stool was a tattered, patched, black, faded hat.

"Now, When i call your name, you shall come up to the front, i will place the sorting hat on your head and you shall be sorted into your house." Said Professor McGonagall, she pulled out a long scroll of parchment and proceeded to read out people's names.

"Abbott, Jemima" She called, a rather short, freckly, chubby and ginger girl went up to the front. She sat on the stool and McGonagall placed the hat on top of her head, just as she had described. The hat just sat there, inanimate and boring.

The hat sprung to life when it was placed atop Jemima's fiery red hair. A rip in the hat looked like a mouth and creases in the hat made it seem like it had eyes too, a few seconds pas and then, suddenly, the girl jumped off the stool, she had to haul herself back onto the stool, a few people laughed, though many obviously saw the laughing as immature.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat shouted, McGonagall removed the hat and Jemima went off to sit at the far left table where about 100 students sat, all clapping and cheering for Hannah.

McGonagall continued to read out names, children were sorted into every house. Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Slytherin and Ravenclaw, All got their fair share of first years. She finally got to Scorpius.

"Malfoy, Scorpius" She called, He walked up to the front, his green eyes twinkled in the light. He sat on the stool and McGonagall put the hat on his head

Scorpius looked confused, like he didn't understand something. I saw scorpius' lips moving, I couldn't tell what he was saying, but it was very quiet.

"Well then, you must be in GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted, there was applause, though the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables seemed to only have a handful clapping. He walked rather quickly to the Gryffindor table, his identical brown haired friends looked at him with disgust.

Surely Scorpius Malfoy didn't belong in Gryffindor? His whole family were in Slytherin! Surely that can't be what he said, what Scorpius whispered to the hat. He couldn't have tried to get into Gryffindor? But i had no time to ponder, more names were being called.

Al was placed into Gryffindor, no surprise there really, he went to sit by his brother and a boy named Angus Finnegan who was doing some strange sign language to his twin sister Branna who had been sorted into Ravenclaw, to her surprise.

Finally it was my turn. Oh what joy.

"Riddle, Megan" McGonagall called, whispering erupted from every table at the mention of my name, I started to walk towards the stool, everyone's eyes were upon me, even the professors were curious to see what i really looked like. I sat down on the stool and McGonagall rushed to put the hat on my head, eager to calm all the chatter.

"Interesting, so very, very interesting, considering your backstory" The sorting hat's voice sounded, only inside my head. It blocked out every other sound in the great hall, It was a painful silence, I just wanted to pull the hat off my head to stop the pain. I could feel it looking inside me, searching through my mind for information. I hated it.

"I see intelligence, yes you're very intelligent. Cunning and ambitious too. Eager to prove you're more than him, always the leader of the pack, not the one that is left behind. Yes you'd make a fine Slytherin..." He paused, the pain started, though not for long. It had found the information it wanted.

"However, A good Gryffindor you would make. For you are Brave and courageous. You are loyal to those you trust, you will stick with them till the very end. No matter what." he paused, the pain began again. I could feel the hat, searching through my mind for evidence. Evidence that would help decide to which house i belong. I felt it's frustration. It needed more information, it was on the brink of placing me. It couldn't decide. For once, the sorting hat had no clue.

By this time I'd been stuck under the hat for a few minutes now. People were getting bored, even Professor McGonagall seemed to tire of the sorting hat. I started thinking that it was not wanting information, it was waiting for me to make a choice.

Gryffindor, i thought. Please put me in Gryffindor. I heard cheers, though i hadn't seemed to register in my brain that i'd been sorted, just that something had been shouted. My legs took me to the Gryffindor table, though i found myself next to Scorpius, not Al. I felt like an outcast. I was an outcast. Everyone knew who i was, they'd assumed what i was like. Just like everyone assumed what Scorpius was like based on his background. We didn't feel a sense of belonging.

Finally, after McGonagall called out the last name (Rose Weasley, who was sorted into Gryffindor). Professor Elphick stood up to say a few words, which turned out to be, well, more than a few.

"Now then, I have a few things to say before the feast begins. I would like to remind first year students that the Dark Forest is strictly forbidden to all students. Those who would like to adventure amongst the dangerous creatures that inhabit the forest may apply for a detention with Hagrid." He chuckled, obviously finding the thought of applying for a detention amusing.

"Quidditch try outs will commence on the second week of term, signup sheets will be pinned up in your house dormitories for those who wish to play." There was slight discussion over this, though it was quickly hushed.

"And one last note, Mr Filch has asked me to remind you that no magic is to be used in between classes and that no students are to go wandering about the castle at night if you do not wish to spend your free time assisting our caretaker with his duties." He paused for a moment to give Filch a look as if to say, 'Is that all?' Filch nodded back to Elphick, his face never looking anything but grumpy.

Argus filch was a very old, grumpy looking man who had an ugly, smelly, flea bitten cat named Mrs Norris, who had bright yellow eyes just like her owner. Wherever Filch went, Mrs Norris went too, and vice versa.

"And without further ado, let the feast BEGIN!" He shouted. He clapped his hands once. The sound rippled towards the back of the hall, and with the sound, food magically appeared on the tables. The whole hall was filled with the smell of freshly cooked food. I turned to talk to Scorpius, but he seemed to have moved further away and was playing with his food, like he had lost his apetite.

"Oh Megan, This is Rosie Weasley!" Al had moved up next to me, He pointed at the Ginger girl next to him who was talking to the scruffy boy about something or other.

"Rosie, this is Megan Riddle. She's nice, honest." Rose offered me her chubby hand, I took it, I couldn't risk making enemies at this school. Especially not ones whose parents had helped defeat Voldemort. Rosie was a chubby girl with ginger hair, blue eyes and freckles dotted all over her bright red face. She seemed nice, she was a Weasley, it's in their nature to be nice I believe.

We talked for a while about various things, classes we were most looking forward to (defence against the dark arts in all our case, though transfiguration seemed very interesting), quidditch (We all had a debate about who was better, the Holyhead Harpies or Puddlemere United. I was backing the Holyhead Harpies with Rosie on this one) and generally anything that came to mind. Not once did i try and talk to Scorpius who was sat next to me still, just playing with his food, not actually eating it. I felt bad but Al would ignore me if i tried to talk to him.

Pudding came and went and soon we were being sent off to bed by Professor Elphick.

We were led to Gryffindor common room by a prefect named Bertram Barbary (A lanky boy with a curly brown afro and a serious case of acne), we taken through doors pretending to be walls, underneath tapestries and up many staircases and through many corridors until we got to the Gryffindor common room.

"Password please?" I wasn't surprised that the fat lady in the painting spoke, I was used to that by now. People in pictures and paintings moving etc.

"Bezoar" Bertram answered, The portrait opened out like a door to reveal a round tunnel like hole, on the other side of that tunnel i saw the Gryffindor common room.


End file.
